“Pit Bulls get a really bad rap — sort of like Oakland — but once you actually know them, they’re the most loving dogs you’ll ever meet,” says Ari Takata-Vasquez, owner of Viscera and mom to Pitties Charlie and Lola.

In fact, Ari is such a dog lover that she had her landlord add a clause to her lease saying puppers would be allowed into the shop. And then she made our hearts go pitter patter by putting a sign on Viscera’s front door making clear that Viscera’s door is especially wide open for dogs of the blockheaded variety.

Ari explains:

I noticed a lot of people would walk by the shop with their dogs sort of looking in but weren’t sure if their pups could come along so I’d always run to the door and let them know their dogs are welcome. So I decided it would just be better to put a sign up!

Viscera’s goods are also Pit-friendly – like these leather dog leashes, the proceeds of which go to a Pit Bull rescue group called Good Newz – the rescue from which Ari adopted her own gorgeous babies.

Guys, even if you don’t walk into Viscera with your own dog, you can leave with one. The store hosts Pit Bull adoption events with Friends of Oakland Animal Services.

Ari says she’d love even more folks to come on into Viscera with their Pits — not just so she can give them lots of pets (and put their pictures up on Instagram), but also in order to help set an example.

Oakland, like other cities, has a dearth of Pit-friendly housing — which has the effect of making it hard for Pit Bulls to get adopted. And, well, you know the very grim place where that leads.

Ari would like for Viscera enthusiasm for these dogs to play a role in changing attitudes, and policies — and can’t you just picture that maybe one day, the whole wide world will have a big welcome sign to well-behaved dogs, especially Pit Bulls?

Says Ari:

My hope is that if someone sees a boutique allows Pit Bulls, maybe they should be allowed in more places. Everyone should come visit with their dogs! It would completely make my day to have more Pits in the shop.